“Okay. I wish I could make you dinner, but I guess that won’t work.”
“I wish you could, too. I’d much rather spend my evening with you than my mom.”
We went into the store and she headed straight for the candy aisle. I followed, hands in my pockets, not wanting to block the way between her and her peanut clusters.
“What the actual fuck?” she whispered as she stared at an empty spot on a shelf. “Where are they?”
The tag on the shelf indicated that if the store had peanut clusters, they’d be here. Charlotte looked at me, her eyes glistening with tears.
“All I wanted was peanut clusters.”
“Chocolate-covered peanuts?” I suggested, grabbing a bag from another shelf.
“No,” she said miserably. “It needs to be the clusters.”
“I’ll find someone who works here. Maybe they’ve got some in the back.”
“Would you?”
I found a pimply kid in a green apron, but he told me they were, in fact, all out of peanut clusters. Charlotte was crestfallen when I told her.
“So we’ll try another store,” I said.
“Do you think I’m hormonal?”
Well, damn. There was no right answer to that question.
“I think if you want peanut clusters, I’m gonna make sure you get some,” I said, putting an arm around her shoulders.
“You always make me feel . . .” She shook her head, considering. “Calmer. Warmer. Steadier. I could really fall for you, Bennett . . . if I let myself.”
I was frozen. I wanted to say something sweet and right, but all I could think about was Kelly saying something similar to me five years ago.
“You’re the calm in my storm, Bennett.”
But I hadn’t been. When she needed a steady presence most, I’d failed her.
“You okay?” Charlotte asked, her brow furrowed with concern. “Did I just freak you out?”
I cleared my throat. “No. Let’s get going to another store.”
“Sure.”
We found the peanut clusters at the next store and I drove Charlotte back to her car. I gave her a quick kiss, still shaken from thinking about Kelly. Then I followed her home, and once I made sure she got there okay, went home and lost myself in a video game with Liam. Some things were best left buried.
Charlotte
“Why hasn’t Christopher been back?” my mom asked. “You two didn’t have a fight, did you?”
“No. He’s just been busy.”
“Why don’t you invite him over for dinner tonight? I’ll help you make chicken marsala. It’s true what they say about the way to a man’s heart being through his stomach, you know.”
I glanced up at her from the magazine I was reading in my recliner. It was Saturday, and my hopes of a relaxing day had been short-lived.
“I don’t cook,” I said. “No reason to make him think I’m someone I’m not.”
She waved a hand dismissively. “That’s not what I’m suggesting. Just show him your best side until you’ve got a ring on your finger. Then you can ease away from cooking a bit.”
“A ring?”
“He’s a catch, Charlotte.”
I cocked my head at her in surprise. “How do you know? You met him once for like ten minutes.”
She held up five fingers, folding them down as she went through her list. “Good job. Very attractive. Clearly likes you. Intelligent. Has all his hair.”
“What?” I set the magazine down in my lap. “The fact that he likes me is not a redeeming quality. You act like no man would want to be with me.”
“I’m just saying, if a man like him is interested, sink those claws in, honey.”
Ugh. I needed a break from her before I said something I’d regret.
“Actually, I’m staying over at his place tonight,” I said.
“Oh, really?” She smiled broadly. “That’s wonderful.”
“Yeah. I should get my stuff ready and go.”
“Well, I’ll hold the fort down here. Maybe James and I can play Monopoly.”
I took out my phone and texted Bennett.
Me: Is there any way you can get rid of Liam tonight? I’d really like to spend the night with you.
Bennett: Done. I’ll have him taken hostage if I have to.
Me: You’re the best. See you at 6?
Bennett: See you then.
I packed a bag of things and went clothes shopping at a maternity store. It was a relief to buy some clothes that would actually fit me. Then I drank a hot chocolate at the bookstore and picked up the few Christmas presents I needed. By the time I got to Bennett’s at six, my mood was much improved.
“Hey,” he said when he opened the door. I threw myself into his arms.
“Hi,” I said, kissing him.
He pressed a foot to the door and closed it, then reached out to lock the dead bolt, all without breaking the kiss.
“You’re good,” I murmured against his lips.
“I’m ready to tell Liam, but not because he caught us in bed.”
“Will he be back tonight?”
“Nope, but the dead bolt’s just in case. I got in touch with Keri. We’ve got until tomorrow afternoon.”
“But will she tell him?”
He shrugged. “Doesn’t matter if she does. She doesn’t know it’s you who’s here.”
I stepped back to take off my coat. “It smells good in here.”
“I’m making manicotti.”
“Sounds delicious.”
Bennett approached me and put his hands on my belly. Our eyes locked, and the reverence I saw in his melted me and then quickly heated me from head to toe.
“I miss you so much when we’re not together.” He leaned his forehead against mine.
“Me too. So we’re telling Liam Friday night, right?”
He sighed softly. “He’s going to a holiday party with Keri, now. I hadn’t asked him yet, and then he told me about it.”
“Okay. Another night, then.”
“I’m going home for Christmas Day. I wish you could come with me.”
I ran a hand up his neck and into his thick hair. “Me too. But I can’t ditch my family on Christmas.”
“I know.”
A beeping timer sounded in his kitchen, and he broke our embrace to go turn it off. I followed him into the kitchen, sitting down at the table. An open magazine grabbed my attention.
The Twenty Hottest Men on Ice: #14, Bennett Morse
Whoa. There was a photo of Bennett in the locker room, sweaty and shirtless. He held on to a hockey stick and smiled the smile that had melted my panties the first time I saw him.
I scanned the Q&A next to the photo as he sprinkled mozzarella cheese over the pasta he’d made.
Q: What drew you to play hockey?
A: My dad was a youth coach. I learned to skate when I was four, and I never wanted to do anything else.
Q: Is there a special woman in your life?
A: Yes, there is.
Q: Details! Who is she and how’d she get lucky enough to steal your heart?
A: Sorry, that’s too private. Let’s just say, I’m the lucky one.
My heart pounded erratically with excitement.
“All set,” Bennett said, looking at me over his shoulder.
“Did you mean me?” I asked, looking down at the magazine and then up at him. “Am I the special woman?”
One corner of his mouth crooked up in a smile. “Of course you are, Char.”
I looked down at the picture again and licked my lips. “You’ll need to keep that warm in the oven.”
“How come?”
“Because we’re going into the bedroom now.”
Bennett
I led Charlotte into my bedroom and closed the door behind us. She backed me against the door, her blue eyes bright as they met mine. When she licked her lips, I wrapped my hands around her hips and brought my mouth down on hers.
The taste and feel of her were becoming
achingly familiar to me. Her soft moans and sweet curves were what I fantasized about when I jerked off to get relief from constantly wanting her.
Tonight, I had the real thing, and I wasn’t going to waste a moment. I ran a hand up the back of her shirt and unfastened her bra, then cupped her full, round breasts with both hands.
“Mmm, Bennett,” she moaned.
“I love these tits, Char,” I said, squeezing them gently.
“They’re bigger,” she said, her tone breathy, “I guess because they’re swollen.”
“They’re perfect.” I pulled her shirt up over her head and tossed it to the floor.
Charlotte’s chest rose and fell with her heavy breathing. A lock of hair rested on one breast, its curled end tempting. I took it between a thumb and forefinger and stroked it, soon dropping it to spend more time on her breasts.
I bent and took one tight pink nipple into my mouth, slowly licking and sucking. Charlotte’s moan made my erection twitch eagerly.
“Sit,” she said, taking a step back. She pulled her pants down past her hips and they fell at her feet.
My gaze fell on the triangle of light brown curls visible through the white fabric of her low-cut panties. She blushed as I took her in. This moment would appear in so many of my fantasies when I was on the road.
“Sit,” she said again.
I wanted to pick her up, put her on the bed, and bury my face between her thighs for the next thirty minutes. But instead, I stripped off my T-shirt and did what she’d asked. Looking the way she did right now, Charlotte could have asked me to crawl under the bed or out the window and I would have done it.
She approached and dropped to her knees in front of me.
“Oh, fuck.” My head tipped back as she unfastened my jeans and lowered the zipper.
I eased my hips up off the bed and pulled my pants and boxer briefs down. Charlotte took over, lowering them to the floor and then easing each of my feet out.
She teased me, her tongue doing a delicate dance over my inner thighs and then my lower abs. I hissed in a breath and ran a hand into her hair, tugging on it near her scalp. She moaned against my skin and continued with the torture.
Finally, her tongue found its way to the tip of my cock. She swirled a slow pattern around the head and I groaned. My hand instinctively tightened in her hair but I forced myself not to push. Whatever pace she wanted to set was good with me.
“You taste good,” she said softly as she licked the bead of moisture from my tip.
My arm muscles tensed and I dug my other hand into the bedsheet, gripping a handful of mattress. She was driving me fucking crazy here.
When she took me all the way into her mouth, I let out a long, loud groan. The tip of my cock found the back of her throat and I closed my eyes, never wanting this to end. I was breathing hard, my whole body on fire for her.
She stopped the teasing all at once, her hand and mouth working up and down on my dick so damn well the urge to come hit after just a couple minutes. I tensed, telling myself not to, but it had been so long since I’d had a blow job, and it was Charlotte, my fantasy woman, bobbing up and down on my dick, her tits bouncing and her round, full ass sticking out just right.
I imagined I was behind her, not even taking the little white panties off. I’d just slide them aside, ease my cock into her wet pussy and fuck her until she was screaming my name.
Ah, fuck. That was it.
“I’m gonna come,” I said quickly, pulling lightly on her hair.
Instead of stopping, she tightened her hand around my shaft and cupped my balls with her other one. I groaned hard, my hips arching up as I came in her mouth.
My muscles went slack as she finished me, not missing a single drop.
“You almost killed me there,” I said, falling back onto the bed. “Damn, woman.”
She curled up on her side next to me. “I’ve been wanting to do that for a while now.”
“If I’d known, I would’ve made it happen sooner.”
She smiled and I kissed her, tasting myself on her lips. “You’re so damn sexy, baby. Spread those legs for me so I can have some fun now.”
“Actually . . . I have something else in mind. When you’re . . . up to it, I mean.”
“I see what you did there,” I said, grinning at her. “Give me like five minutes.”
I traced a path down her arm to her hip and then back up to her jawline.
“Have you ever been in love?” she asked softly.
I grazed my fingers across the swell of her stomach. Why couldn’t we just talk about this, the future—our future—instead of the past?
“There was someone in college,” I said. “From my hometown. We were at different schools.”
Charlotte’s eyes were bright, but this time, it was with curiosity rather than arousal.
“What happened?”
I shrugged. “It didn’t end well. It’s a painful subject.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry you asked. I’ll tell you about it at some point. What about you? Ever been in love?”
She sighed softly. “I don’t know. I’ve told a couple guys I loved them, but I’m not sure I meant it. There just comes a point where you feel like you’re supposed to say it, I guess.”
I slid a hand onto her hip and kissed her forehead. “Don’t ever say it to me unless you mean it.”
“How did you know you were in love when you were?”
“Because I cared for her so much it hurt sometimes.”
She cradled my cheek in her hand. “This is the happiest I’ve been in a while.”
“Me too.”
My body craved her closeness, so I kissed her. Soon she was exploring my skin the same way I was exploring hers. I got up on my elbow and eased her onto her back, my dick rock hard and ready for round two.
“Can you . . . lie back?” She pressed a palm to my chest.
Hell yeah, I could. I got on my back and she rose to her knees, straddling me. I breathed out, done in by the sight of her. How could I ever get enough of her soft curves and smooth skin?
She leaned over me and slowly sank down onto my dick, moaning the whole way.
“Ah fuck, Char,” I said, holding on to her hips. “You’re so wet.”
She was a goddess. I was awestruck at the way she looked riding me, hair tossed back and round tits bouncing. What I liked best was that this was for her. She had no regard for whether or not I was close to getting off. Instead, she was using my body strictly for her pleasure. I’d never seen anything sexier.
“Oh, Bennett.” She was panting and she gripped my forearms tightly, her nails embedding in my skin.
It was so fucking good. She cried out and I pulled down on her hips, making her moan loudly. This had been all her, but I couldn’t help making her come a little harder.
Buried deep inside her, I came again myself. Her name came out of my mouth as little more than a whisper as my body tensed and I released inside her.
She grinned, her cheeks a gorgeous shade of pink. As soon as she’d swung her knee over me, I pulled her down beside me and wrapped myself around her, my chest to her back.
“Oh,” she said suddenly, jumping slightly. “Give me your hand.”
She moved my hand over her belly.
“You feel that?” she asked.
I closed my eyes and concentrated. “I don’t feel anything. The baby’s kicking?”
“Yes.” There was a smile in her tone.
“I can’t wait until I can feel it.” I kissed her shoulder and sat up. “I’m gonna go make us some plates of dinner to eat in bed.”
“You’re amazing.”
“You’re not so bad yourself.” I took one more look at her, naked and relaxed in my bed, before heading into the kitchen.
I wanted to enjoy this moment. We got too little time alone together for me not to. But our earlier conversation crept into my consciousness.
“I cared for her so much it hurt sometimes.”
It was how I was feeling about Charlotte right now. My feelings for her were an out-of-control freight train, barreling down the tracks. I’d vowed not to let this happen again, but not only did I think it wasn’t possible to stop the train, I didn’t want to.
Charlotte
I woke up slowly the next morning, too warm and content to snap back into awareness. Bennett had held me against him all night, and now he was snoring lightly, his head laying on my hair.
Our dinner plates were on the floor. We’d spent our whole evening in his bedroom, which I was just now getting a look at.
It was small, with dark paneled walls and beige carpet. There were no decorations, just a queen-size bed and a dresser. Everything about this room said this was Bennett’s temporary player housing.
He could get called up to an NHL team anytime. I considered that for the first time, realizing how much I’d miss him.
Would he be here when our baby was born? I wanted him there. No one else, just him. He was quickly becoming the most important person in my life.
We could be whatever we wanted to each other. I wasn’t gunning for a marriage proposal by any means. I liked what we had.
He shifted in his sleep, made a grunting sound, and tightened his hold on me. I slowly eased my hair out from under his head. Much as I wanted to stay like this all morning, I had to pee too much to do it.
“Where you goin’?” Bennett asked in a deep, sleepy tone as I made my way out of bed.
“Bathroom. Want me to make breakfast?”
He scrubbed a hand over his face. “Yeah, that sounds good. I’ll help.”
I took my overnight bag into the bathroom and brushed my teeth after peeing. There were two toothbrushes in a holder on the counter, and I sighed as I realized one of them belonged to my brother. The little sister in me wanted to dip his in the toilet, but I didn’t know which one was his so I refrained.
I got dressed in jeans and a clean shirt, pulled my hair into a loose, messy bun and went into the kitchen. Bennett stood in front of the fridge, shirtless. A pair of sweats hung low on his hips and his hair was tousled from sleep. I couldn’t help wrapping my arms around him from behind.
“Omelets?” he asked. “Or pancakes?”
“Mmm, either.” I pressed my cheek to his hard, broad back, wishing we’d stayed in bed.
Bennett (On the Line Book 2) Page 11